Don't Be Late
by daxdax64
Summary: So here he was, on his way to Beacon Academy, his home for the next four years. His home, his work, his life; Beacon was all of that now. With his weapon at his side, and his family reputation behind him, Riley was sure he could take the world.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue - Don't Be Late**_

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><p><em><strong>Near Titan Academy<strong>_

"Hey Riley?" A small girl with dark red hair asked.

The boy in question glanced over towards her, "What's up Octagon?"

She adopted a pout on her face, "I told you not to call me that..."

He let out a quiet chuckle as he petted her head, "Sorry, you know how forgetful I am."

"Don't I ever," she agreed as she jumped up; her full height was barely able to reach his waist, "So, can we go get ice cream?"

Riley thought for a moment while crossing his arms. A small smile spread across his face as he nodded his head, "I suppose some ice cream is in order."

The girl jumped up and down quickly, "Yay!"

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><p><em><strong>Downtown Hauptstadt<strong>_

"I want two scoops of that, and one of that, cover it in sprinkles and pour blueberries on them. Oh, and a little chocolate fudge never hurt anything," the small girl counted off what she wanted on her fingers.

The man behind the counter smiled softly and nodded, going to work quickly. Riley smiled, "You're going to overload yourself on ice cream if you keep those kind of orders up."

"Pfft, there is no such thing as too much ice cream," she exclaimed excitedly as the man handed the bowl over to her, which she accepted hurriedly and returned to the table.

Riley shook his head as he stepped up to the counter, "I'll just take a blueberry smoothie."

"Got it," the man said with a nod as he pulled out a few items. He dumped the small berries into a blender mixed with some vanilla ice cream and milk. The machine stopped quickly, and the man pulled it from its place. He poured the liquid into a large cup and set it on the counter, "That'll be twenty-seven lien."

"She's going to be the death of me," the boy muttered as he slid his chip along the machine, quickly punching in his code. He took his drink and joined his companion at their seat.

"So, big brother, did you enjoy the snowball fight that you totally lost?" she asked as she pushed another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"I did not lose, that was totally using your adorableness to your advantage," he countered quickly, taking a sip of his own purchase.

She shrugged, "You never said I couldn't." He rolled his eyes as he took another sip of the drink, the crushed blueberries pouring into his taste buds.

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><p><em><strong>Just Outside Hauptstadt<strong>_

"Hey big brother?" the girl asked, tapping her fingers together in the process.

"What's up Octavia?" he asked, glancing over to her as they continued walking.

She stopped, causing Riley to stop as well, "Do you hear that?"

The boy focused his aura for a moment, the sounds of the world becoming clearer as he did._ Mechanical in nature, must be a bullhead._ He smiled softly, "It's just a transport, don't worry about it."

"Okay, if you're sure," she muttered before continuing her walk. Riley paused for a moment before following her, lightly jogging to catch up.

The duo walked on for a while, Riley noticing that the sound drew ever closer. The boy thought it was strange, knowing for a fact that the nearest airfield was back in the city. He shook his head and put the thought in the back of his mind as he placed his focus back to the road, his feet pushing him slowly along as he dragged a few feet behind his sister.

Riley's eyes widened as he heard the noise growing louder very suddenly, he turned sharply to the right, there it was. A bullhead was in flames charging towards them. "Octavia!" he yelled as he ran forward. The girl looked behind her as she pulled her head-buds out. She turned towards Riley, and then the bullhead. The child let out a terrified scream, freezing in place.

Riley pulled his weapon out and pulsed his aura through it transforming it into its full spear form. He slammed it in front of them and transferred his aura._ Thirty tons should do._

He turned around quickly and wrapped his arms around his sister, "No time to dodge, put all your aura up front!"

"I don't know ho-" she was cut off as the bullhead slammed into the ground nose first, parts flew off of it. A few small bits flew into them, all being pushed back by Riley's aura. The transport slammed into his weapon, the nose bending backwards at the force. The machine was thrown to the left, barely missing the two.

Riley stood up, slowly running over to his weapon. He allowed a brief pause as he wrapped his hands around his weapon._ Fuck, I'm tired as hell._ Pulling the weapon out of the road, he transformed it out into its full form, halberd and spear glistening in the light from the fire.

He stepped in front of his sister, "Just stay back, okay?"

"Okay, please be safe," she pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I will be, don't worry," he stated as he stepped towards the wreckage. As he got near, a loud growl was heard from inside, and a blood curdling scream quickly in succession. Riley stepped back slightly, readying his weapon. His form tightened as a beowolf slammed its way through the craft's hull. His eyes widened at the creature's entrance, his thoughts racing within his mind, one took precedence over the others,_ Oh god, how the hell did a Grimm get here?_

The creature swung at the boy, who brought his weapon up to parry the attack. Riley dodged to the left, bringing his weapon's blade around for his own attack. His attack found its place as it sliced into the creature, a large gash forming on its side.

It growled into the air before charging once more at its prey. Riley shoved his halberd forward, the point slamming into the creature's head, its bone mask shattering into pieces. The Grimm fell backwards and landed in the snow with a thud. It slowly began to dissipate, ashes flowing towards the sky.

Riley sheathed his weapon on his belt and made his way back to his sister, "See? Nothing to be scared of."

Her eyes were glazed over as she stared past the boy. He narrowed his eyes before turning around, there stood a massive Ursa, its claw already flying towards him. He braced his hands forward as they struck, knocking him many feet to the right.

"Octavia, get the hell out of here!" he yelled as he stood, equipping his weapon, sending his aura through it quickly. The pole shot in both directions, the blades popping out of the staff and forming together.

He charged towards the Ursa and swung, his weapon lodged itself into the creature's body, eliciting a growl from the beast. The Grimm shook him off, sending the boy a few feet back. He jumped up as the beast charged his little sister, "Octavia!"

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><p><strong>Song of the Chapter: Innocence (SAO) – Nightcore<strong>

** watch?v=wMtWD73MK28&index=130&list=PLpTb3B4kyniUzHWUEAEQh2dgIbJsbv8IV**

**A/N:** **So, after so much planning, the time to release the prologue to my story, _Don't Be Late__,_ has arrived. This prologue will stand here alone for awhile to allow those who may be interested to comment on it, possibly giving me ideas on how to improve. **

**Also quick note, the song of the chapter has nothing to do with the chapter, usually; it's just the song that was listened to more than the others.**

**I would like to give a quick shout-out to TheRagingGamer for being an absolutely fantastic editor for this story!**


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome To Beacon

_**Chapter 1: Welcome to Beacon**_

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><p>Don't be late. Those were the last words Riley's grandfather told him before he passed away. No context was ever given, no answer to the questions those words raised. Just three words and a letter, the letter that told him what he had wanted to hear, that he was going to be a huntsman.<p>

That is why he sat in this airship, his eyes staring into the ground. Beacon Academy, a dream of many, now a reality for few. He considered himself lucky to be among those accepted. He wasn't the best student, he wasn't the best fighter, and he certainly wasn't the best choice for this honor, not even close. But he had been accepted, one of two in his school and of only three from the entirety of Atlas.

So here he was, on his way to Beacon Academy, his home for the next four years. His home, his work, his life; Beacon was all of that now. With his weapon at his side, and his family reputation behind him, Riley was sure he could take the world.

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><p><em><strong> Beacon Academy Docks<strong>_

"Hello and welcome to Beacon," the words shot from the speakers, jolting the half-asleep Riley awake. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch, and I will be your Deputy Headmistress at Beacon Academy. All students are to report to the auditorium upon arrival at Beacon for the introduction and further instructions."

As quickly as she appeared, she was gone, her hologram fizzling away. Riley took in his surroundings; the ship was packed with students, all standing out in their own way. The girl in the red hood flashed into his head. The last he saw, she was being seemingly strangled by a tall blonde girl with rather beautiful long hair.

A thump was heard throughout the ship, it seemed they had landed. Standing from his seat, Riley turned towards the door, hoping to quickly, and safely, make his way to the auditorium. As he passed through the airlock, the familiar sound of sickness brought his attention towards the left.

A blonde boy had his head in a trash bin, his face even more pale than was normal for those from Vale. Riley walked up to the boy, stopping a few feet behind him, "Hey, are you okay?"

"What?" the boy exclaimed, his head quickly shooting up. "Of course, just a... cold..." he stuttered out.

Riley looked at the boy with questioning eyes, "Right, a cold, in Vale; isn't the average temperature in this place like seventy pretty much all year round?"

The other boy seemed to be in deep thought for a moment before looking back at Riley, "Well, um, you know?"

"Do I?" he asked, a smirk developing on his face, "If you were in Atlas maybe, but definitely not Vale."

"Okay, fine," the blonde muttered, crossing his arms as he did, "I'm not a fan of flying, laugh it up."

He let out a small laugh, "Maybe later, I'm Riley by the way, Riley Yeltic." He extended his hand towards the blonde.

The kid straightened his back, a successful smile spreading across his face as he accepted gesture, "Jaune Arc, residential ladies' man and fighter extraordinaire."

"Oh really? Well don't let me keep you, oh great huntsman-in-training," with that, Riley turned to take his leave, a huge grin prevalent on his face.

"Hey wait, mind if I walk with you?" Jaune yelled, running up to Riley, who just shook his head and continued to walk.

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><p><em><strong>Beacon Academy Courtyard<strong>_

When they arrived at the courtyard, a spectacle had already formed. A girl in an expensive looking white dress stood over the girl in the red hood, who seemed to be getting smaller with every word. There were boxes spread everywhere, slowly being collected by two servants.

With a final irritated sigh and shake of the head, the girl in white turned towards Beacon, seemingly determined to get away from the caped girl, who had fallen completely to the ground.

"Hey, I got this, you go on to Beacon," the voice of Jaune came from behind him.

Riley glanced back at him, then to the girl in red. Rolling his eyes, he took his leave allowing the "lady-killer" his first chance.

As he continued on his walk, Riley's eyes focused on a girl in front of him. She seemed familiar, her ears reminding him of a girl back at Titan. _Oh, what was her name, Amy, no. Was it Annie? Nope, definitely not that, I swear it started with an A__._ Riley silently argued with himself in a similar fashion for several moments before slamming into something solid.

The sudden and unexpected wall knocked him to the ground, a loud thump being emitted on impact, "What the hell?"

"You know, most people would start with: oh my god, I'm so sorry, or hey, sorry about that I should have been paying attention but I can't since I'm a bumbling idiot," she rambled, a huge smirk prevalent on her face, her hand extended to the mess below her.

_Oh yeah, that is definitely her._ "Uhm, sorry about that, I just got distracted," Riley correct himself, rubbing the back of his neck while accepting the girl's hand, pulling himself upright.

"Oh, and it's Aria, by the way," she added, stepping back from the now standing Riley, "Did you know you like to talk to yourself?"

"I knew it was an A," he muttered, kicking at the ground.

She smirked again, "Well, since you know everything, I suppose you know that if we don't get moving, we'll probably be late to the introduction."

Riley gulped as he glanced towards his watch, "Oh uhm, you wouldn't happen to know where that is would you?"

The girl rolled her eyes, turning towards the school. "Follow me."

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><p><em><strong>Beacon Academy Auditorium<strong>_

As the duo stepped into the auditorium, the voices of dozens of loud students instantly rammed into them, causing Aria to lower her ears. Riley looked around at the crowd. _He saw the same red hooded girl, along with the blonde girl from earlier that was hugging her to death.__ Jaune made it, shockingly, and... is that Pyrrha Nikos? Oh, there's t__hat__ one girl that... __He cringed when he realized why she was so familiar. That was Weiss Schnee, only the heiress to the largest Dust company in the country._

The two made their way to one of the few open spots left, placing themselves next to two boys who seemed to be deep in conversation. One had his hood up and had a chain wrapped around his wrist. The other seemed to glance at the two arrivals, only to quickly return to his conversation, giving them no words.

Riley looked around for a few moments, thinking of something to say to break the silence. He tried to think of something, nothing sensible coming to mind at that moment.

A few more moments of silence passed before he spoke up, something finally coming to mind, "So Aria, I guess it is just you and me from Titan, maybe we'll be partners."

She smiled to her friend, "Maybe, maybe not, I suppose we'll see."

Riley returned her smile, focusing on the newly arrived, figure. It was Professor Ozpin, headmaster at Beacon, and world renown huntsman. He walked up to the microphone, coffee cup in one hand, cane in the other, "I'll, keep this brief. All of you have come here to become huntsman or huntresses. You've all trained for years to get where you are, and all of you have more than earned your place here. But yet, you still have so far to go, you may have earned your place at my school, but you have not earned the title of Huntsman or Huntress, and many of you will not. I will not lie, the journey you will partake in during your time here will not be easy, the enemies you face will not back down, and the knowledge you gain will not save you. We are here to give you the knowledge required to find your path, but it is up to you, to take the first step."

With that, he turned and left the stage, his place taken by Mrs. Goodwitch, "All first years are to report to the common room to rest, tomorrow you will proceed to the Beacon Cliffs, from there, your initiation will begin, you are dismissed."

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><p><em><strong>Beacon Academy Common Room<strong>_

"Well, goodnight Aria, I'll see you tomorrow," Riley said with a wave, walking towards an empty corner.

"You too, Riley, sleep well," she responded, raising her hand slightly in acknowledgement.

Riley found himself near the corner, laying his bedroll against the wall. He quickly took in his surroundings, at least he tried to, his vision being heavily interfered with by a massive faunas. _H__oly shit, th__is__ guy __is __huge._

His eyes drifted over, continuing to slowly scan the room. They stopped on the red-hooded girl, who was laying on her bedroll, scribbling away into a notebook. He shrugged, deciding there were worst times to try and make friends. Slowly walking over to the girl, he decided to keep it simple, "Hey there."

"Uh, hey there," the girl replied, looking up from her notebook.

Her eyes were a deep silver, Riley being temporarily mesmerized by the orbs, "Hey, how are you tonight?"

"Fine, I suppose," her eyes narrowed slightly, her voice rather cautious, "I'm Ruby, by the way, and you are?"

"Riley, Riley Yeltic, I saw you earlier, fighting with Ms. Schnee," nope, that wasn't any better.

"Oh, you saw that huh? It was totally an accident, I swear, how was I suppose to know that it was behind me!" she suddenly sped up her words, leaving Riley's mind in the dust.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there Ruby, no need to prove anything to me," he said, trying to reassure the red head before she caused a scene.

She was about to respond when another girl did it for her, "Ruby! There you are, I've been looking all over for you," she looked over at Riley for a moment, "You didn't tell me you already had a boyfriend!"

"What? Yang! He's not my boyfriend, he's just a friend, that is a boy," Ruby said, stumbling with her words.

Riley decided it was best to take his leave, "Okay, so Ruby, Blondie, it was nice meeting you two, but I think I should head to bed."

"It was nice meeting you too, Riley, and this is Yang by the way, just ignore her most of the time," Ruby said quickly with a wave.

Yang interrupted quickly, "Hey!"

"Well, I better get going," he said, turning back to his bed, ignoring any possible pleas for continued conversation. It was going to be an interesting four years, and Riley just hoped he'd survive.

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><p><strong>Song of the Chapter: From Shadows (RWBY Soundtrack)<strong>

**watch?v=JIFsnk_jCTY&list=PLpTb3B4kyniUzHWUEAEQh2dgIbJsbv8IV&index=3**

**A/N: So here we are, after nearly half a year of kind of constant writing and planning, the date for this story's true beginning has arrived, Merry Christmas by the way.**

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I did while writing it, and don't worry, chapters will be releasing every week on Fridays. Look for each new chapter around 16:00, -6 GMT Central Time.**

**I'd just like to give another shout-out to TheRagingGamer, without him, this story would be much more lacking in quality, thanks for being a fantastic editor, bud.**


	3. Chapter 2: Initiating Launch Sequence

_**Chapter 2: Initiating Launch Sequence**_

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><p><strong><em>Beacon Academy Common Room<em>**

Riley eyes shot open, his hands being forced by the violent shaking being performed by Aria. "Hey, time to wake up," she commanded as she continued to violently shake..

"Of course it is," he responded, rolling himself on to his back, eyes staring at the ceiling. He pushed himself up with a yawn, and quickly stretched his arms. Aria just rolled her eyes, returning to her sleeping bag across the room, leaving Riley to his thoughts. He dressed himself quickly, pausing a moment before locking his armor into place, the words don't be late resonated through his mind once more.

"Hey Riley! Get over here," the words snapped him back to reality, Aria was waving for him from across the room. She seemed to be sitting next to a bald student, who was intently studying a checkerboard.

"I'll be over in a minute!" he returned, grabbing his weapon from his bag, placing it at his waist. He walked over to the place where his friend sat, taking his own seat as she moved a piece up.

She glanced up at the new arrival, "Morning Riley, how did you sleep?"

He smiled back at her, "Fine, you?" The other student had jumped two of Aria's pieces, leaving her with a face of irritation.

"Good as well, this is Ottara by the way," she said, waving her hand towards her opponent.

The man extended his hand towards Riley, "Ottara d'Artagan, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Riley grasped his hand, shaking it firmly, "Riley Yeltic, the pleasures all mine." Ottara nodded, returning his focus to the game. Riley looked at his watch, "We should probably make our way to the locker room before initiation starts."

Ottara looks up from the board, "That would be logical," he then turned to Aria, "I'll keep track of the locations, I have a pretty good memory."

She nodded in return, standing up and grabbing her weapon, locking it on to its holster on her back. She looked back at the group, "I'm ready, I suppose you're counting on myself to know where you are going, right Riley?"

He looked at her with a look of feigned hurt, "Why would you even think that?" He finished his sentence with a smile, motioning for her to take the lead. Aria just shook her head, and started her way to the locker room, Riley close on her tail, "I'll see you around, Ottara." All she received was a nod from the boy, who began to pack away his board.

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><p><strong><em>Beacon Academy Locker Room<em>**

They made their way to the locker room in complete silence. As they entered the room, they saw their fellow students had already began their preparations. Their entrance caught the attention of Ruby, who smiled at her fellow students, "Hey Riley!"

He responded to her smile with one of his own, "Hello there Ruby, how has your first morning at Beacon treated you so far?"

"Great! We've just been preparing for initiation!" although the voice belonged to Yang, instead of Ruby.

Riley looked at Ruby, who offered only a shrug, then turned his attention back to Yang, "Good, can't wait for initiation, we're finally getting our teams together."

She put her hand around her sister, "Oh I just can't wait either, Ruby and I will make a great team!" Her sister pulled out from the grasp she had on her, moving over to her locker with a quick wave to Riley and Aria.

Riley smiled at the blonde, "I'm sure you guys will make excellent huntresses." With that he nodded and turned to leave, walking up to their lockers. He punched in the code, setting his weapon inside; he unhinged his armor, laying it on the bench. He took a seat, laying back, staring at the wall in front of him, "So, are you ready for today?"

Aria looked over at him as she removed her weapon, "Honestly? No, can you really be ready for something like this? We have no idea what we are going to face."

"I suppose so, Ozpin did say that some of us would fail. I just hope he doesn't have any plans on letting us die," his voiced lacked confidence in its own statement.

She smiled but her eyes held her true feelings on that matter, "I don't think he'll let any of us die, yet at least."

Riley gave a smirk in return, jumping up from his seat, "Well, I should go take a shower before the day sets off, see you around." Aria just nodded, turning her focus back to her locker. Riley found his way to the locker room, the sounds of use coming from both the male and female sides. Stepping into the male's, he quickly removed his clothes. He chose the farthest left shower stall, getting in and turning the water onto the coldest setting. Being from Atlas had its advantages, and cold tolerance, or even preference, was one of them.

A few moments later he heard noise from the stall next to him, looking over he saw a familiar blonde haired boy, "Hey Jaune."

The sudden voice caused Jaune to lose his balance, slipping into the wall and barely keeping himself standing, "Oh, hey Riley, how are you today?"

Riley chuckled at the spectacle, "Fine, and you? You don't seem to be having the best day."

The boy nodded in return, "I'm nervous about today, we're going to be doing some actual fighting, I don't want to mess up."

"You'll do fine, you just have to have some confidence in yourself, like Ottara over there, so silent and mysterious," Riley said, pouring some of the shampoo into his hair.

All they received from Ottara was a quick hmph and a shrug of the shoulders.

Riley waved his hand towards the boy, "See what I mean, confidence."

Jaune looked honestly confused, "Uh, of course, confidence. My dad always says that girls look for confidence."

Riley looked at the blonde with an incredulous gaze, "Are girls all you think about, I mean, I know what you are saying but damn." He received a nervous chuckle and a shrug in return.

It was several moments before Jaune restarted the conversation, "So, do you have a girl?"

Riley gave a shake of his head, "No, never had the time for that."

The blonde gave him a nod, "I understand, I was kind of sculpted to try and get girls you could say. Growing up with seven sisters had its advantages and disadvantages."

A snort escaped his friend's mouth, "Sculpted to try and get girls, huh? Of course you are, a regular ladies man.

Jaune gave him a pathetic scowl, "Oh yeah? I bet I could get more girls than you!"

Riley gave him a shrug, "Probably, but then again I could probably keep a girl longer than you." He received a huff in response. He dried himself off, exiting the stall and quickly placing his clothes back on. He stepped back into the locker room, where a conversation was already in progress.

"Okay so I was in a dust store, minding my own business when suddenly, this guy with a cleaver tells me to put my hands in the air," Ruby spoke, she had a positioning in the middle, standing on a bench. Her audience had mixed levels of interest. Yang and an orange haired girl seemed to be more than enthusiastic about the story. Ms. Schnee seemed to be tapping away at her scroll. The small girl that he had slept next to seemed to be halfway in her locker, obviously looking for something. Ottara was paying attention, although he did seem to be talking to another boy who had a very interesting green outfit and a pink streak in his hair. The two boys he had seen at the first speech were on the far side of the room, the one with the chain and his friend, they seemed to be giving Ruby's story no attention, preferring their own conversation.

"I ask him if he was robbing me, he didn't look that tough really," Ruby continued with glee in her voice. "He says yes, so I... kick him right in the stomach, knocked him all the way up front."

Yang and Nora both oohed that part.

"Next his friend comes back, this time with a gun, but that didn't scare me!" She jumped from her position, throwing her arms in the air, "I kicked him out the window! Like pow, ka-chow, smack." She had assisted that last part by slightly kicking her leg out. "Anyways, now I'm outside, I unfold my scythe, to the obvious shock of my opponents, and prepared for combat!"

Yang elbowed Nora lightly, "This is the good part."

Ruby hurriedly continued her story, jumping back upon her makeshift platform, "So what do they do? Charge me!"

"What idiots," Nora muttered.

"The first one I used Crescent Rose as a pole, kicking him in the face, one down." She smirked, "The second tried to swing, didn't work. I spun my weapon into his stomach, two down." Her grin only got bigger, "Finally the last guy tried to shoot me, I blasted out of the way, getting right next to him, and then, I rammed the front of my weapon into his gut, he flew back and slammed into the wall!"

Nora piped up, "What about Torchwick?"

Ruby beamed at her, "A great question, with an even greater answer!" She returned her focus to the entire room, "So then Torchwick came out all like, I'm a big bad boss and I have evil plans to enact elsewhere. Then he shot this fireball thing at me, missed of course. By the time I had finished my dodge he had almost escaped. I made sure the innocents were safe before giving chase, as any good hero would, then I blasted my way all the way to the top. There he was, standing there all evil and stuff, I told him to halt and he did, I saw the look in his eyes, the fear."

Riley had slowly been paying less and less attention to the ongoing story. He sat at his locker playing with his scroll until he saw Aria sit down next to him. He looked up from his texts, "Hey Aria."

"Hello, who are you texting?" she asked as she took her seat.

"Nosy much?" Riley asked while locking his scroll, focusing his attention on Aria, "Just my sister, she's a student back at Titan, first year."

"Must be scary for her, I remember what you were like when we first came to Titan," she said, with a smirk on her face.

"At least I changed, but I think she'll be fine, she is just a little more outgoing than me," he stated with a sad smile.

"I'd like to meet the person more outgoing than you. So has Ruby been like this the whole time?" she asked, looking over at the caped girl.

"And that, my friends, is how I saved Christmas," Ruby finished with a sigh.

Riley looked very confused for a moment, "Did I miss a change of topic or something?"

Ottara shook his head, "I believe the girl is somewhat insane."

Riley just nodded his head in agreement, returning to his own conversation, "Yeah pretty much, ever since I got out of the shower."

Before Aria could respond, they heard Ms. Goodwitch through the speakers, "All first years please report to the Beacon Cliffs for initiation."

"Well, I guess we should get going," Riley said, locking his armor back onto his clothing and attaching his weapon to its holster.

"Initiation here we come!" the exclamation came from the orange haired girl.

"Nora!" the pink streak hair guy yelled, he had gotten ahead of everyone at some time.

"Coming Ren!" Nora yelled back, skipping her way down the hallway.

Aria sighed and Riley just smiled, "This school is full of insane people."

Aria let out a small laugh and started moving forward, allowing Riley to take the lead this time.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Beacon Cliffs<strong>_

Riley stood on a metal plate, looking out upon the Emerald Forest, "Well, here we are Aria."

She glanced over at him, "Here we are."

Professor Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat, "For years you have trained yourselves and honed your skills. For years you have prepared your mind to become hunters. Today you take the first step in a path that will end in one of two ways. Either you will die, or you will succeed. The Emerald Forest is filled with the Creatures of Grimm, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

Ms. Goodwitch took over, "I'm sure many of you have heard that you will be assigned teams. That you will; today you will all receive a partner. A team will be made up of two sets of partners."

Ozpin continued, "You will be with this partner for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interests to be paired with someone who you will work well with. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years, good luck."

Riley looked over at Aria before as the first person was launched, "Well, that makes things interesting, guess I'll see you in a few." With that he gave her a wink and he was gone, launched into the Emerald Forest, the rest of the students quickly following.

* * *

><p><strong>Song of the Chapter: Have Faith in Me<strong>

**watch?v=DEdVJwQNkP4&list=PLpTb3B4kyniUzHWUEAEQh2dgIbJsbv8IV&index=8**

**A/N: Sorry about the slightly late release, I'm not the best at going to bed early, so I just woke up. ****Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the second chapter of my story and stay tuned for next chapter on the ninth.**

**Again I'd like to give praise to my fantastic editor TheRagingGamer for his assistance.**

**Sleep well, friends, until next time.**


	4. Chapter 3: Landing Strategy

_**Chapter 3: Landing Strategy**_

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><p><strong><em>Above Emerald Forest<em>**

Riley spun his weapon around, pointing it to the rear. He fired once, locking another round into the chamber and firing again. He reloaded and returned to melee form, designating a good looking tree for landing.

Riley raised his halberd above his head, latching it onto a branch. The branch made a cracking sound as he did so. "Shit," the branch snapped, sending the boy flying into the ground, nowhere near enough time to reform. He slammed into the ground, face first, sliding for a few feet before ramming into another tree.

He stood up, dusting himself off and collecting his weapon, compacting it and placing it on his belt.

His head snapped to the left, _'A growl, definitely from a Grimm.'_ He grabbed his weapon, transforming it to its full length, "Well, time to get moving, got to find Aria."

He walked along, slowly and cautiously, keeping an eye on the shadows at all time. Another growl rang out through the forest, much louder this time. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the area, slowly investigating each bush for a target. His hands gripped his weapon even tighter with each rustle of leaves.

A snap behind him grabbed his attention. He spun on the spot, readying his weapon, spear pointing forward. The first beowolf launched at him, Riley easily dodging out of the way before switching to gun form and firing once. The shot flew through the monster's chest, knocking it back several feet before it slammed into the ground.

Riley swiped his weapon and pushed himself backwards as two more beowolves jumped from the trees. He rolled forward, shoving the spear through the nearest beowolve's throat. Pulling the blade out, he swung the other side towards the other beowolf. The weapon gutted the monster, sending its limp body flying past.

He checked around him, making sure it was clear, before sheathing his weapon once more.

He moved onward, following the growls as they got louder and louder. A few minutes passed before he saw a glimmer in the distance. He ran forward towards the anomaly, which seemed to originate from a tree.

It was an arrow, "Wait, Aria uses a bow doesn't she? Shit, I need to find her!" He plucked the arrow out of the tree, attaching it to his belt and moving on, towards the growls.

He ran relentlessly towards the Grimm, determined to find his soon-to-be partner. As the sounds of fighting reached his ears, he sped up, in full sprint towards the ongoing battle.

Coming to a stop at the opening to a clearing, he rested a hand on the closest tree as he attempted to regain his breath. A task which he may have been successful in completing, had it not been for the extremely tired Aria slamming into him.

The boy coughed as he was forced into the ground, his head taking the brunt of the fall. He groaned as he dragged himself out from under her and glanced towards her, "You okay?"

"I've been better," she said with a frown. The duo picked themselves up, their attentions refocusing on the approaching Grimm.

"Can't complain, found your arrow by the way," he says with a shrug as he hands her the arrow.

The faunas smiled as she retrieved the arrow from his hands, "Thanks, these things are actually really expensive."

Riley smirked as he equipped his weapon, "I believe we have guests to attend to."

Aria nodded, igniting the holo-wire on her weapon before nocking an arrow. She picked a beowolf and loosed, the arrow sailing into the head of the target sending, it into the ground. Riley ran forward, ducking under a claw as the beowolf lunged towards him; he brought the blade up, lodging it into the mouth of the creature, bits of teeth flying out in different directions. He slid the blade out and swung at the next target, cutting its arms off. The Grimm fell in front of him as he brought up his spear, quickly slamming it into the creature's head.

An arrow sailed past his head, he felt the air brush against him as he stepped back. The arrow in question punctured the throat of the final beowolf, the creature emitting a disgusting gurgling noise as it slid in Riley's feet. He kicked it away as he faced the Ursa, preparing to engage the creature. Aria ran past him, charging forward; he sighed before joining her in the charge, "She'll be the death of me."

The Ursa swings at its attackers, the duo ducking under the limb. Riley jumped onto its back, shoving the spear into it to hold on. Aria followed quickly after, shoving her own blade into its back. They glanced at each other and nodded. They both flipped off of the Ursa's back, landing with a swing, removing their respective side's leg. The both spun towards the front, thrusting their blades into the Grimm's neck. The creature gave one more roar before falling to the ground, quite dead. The duo holstered their weapons, turning towards the north, the suspected direction of the temple.

Riley stepped next to Aria, "Well, partner, shall we be on our way?"

"That is probably a good idea, I'd like to avoid anymore fighting," she said, catching her breath. Riley nodded, allowing Aria to collect her arrows before setting off.

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Emerald Forest<br>_**

"Move, move, move!" Riley yelled, parrying a beowolf claw. He spun around quickly, decapitating the Grimm in the process. He returned his attention north, running to catch up with his partner.

"We need to get the relic, and get out of here," Aria yelled as she kicked a beowolf off her blade.

"Ursa, incoming!" Riley exclaimed, rolling out of the way of another beowolf strike. He brought his spear up, through the Grimm's chest. He tossed the body to the side, switching to ranged mode. He lined up his sights with the Ursa and sent three shots down range, two hitting the creature dead center in the chest, the other slamming into a tree to the right, shattering it in two. , the creature recoiling from the hits.

"I've got him!" Aria yelled, nocking an ice arrow, loosing it upon the beast. The Ursa froze in place, its arms locked to the ground. She charged, slamming her blade into the left arm, shattering it. She threw her weapon up, sending it straight through the chest of the Grimm; she kicked off of the body, grabbing her weapon landing with a swipe, cutting a beowolf in half.

Riley switched back to melee, swinging his halberd into the side of a beowolve's head, killing it instantly. "Forget fighting, just run!" he yelled, compacting his weapon and turning towards the temple, Aria quickly followed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Emerald Forest Temple<br>**_

They ran into the temple, the Grimm close behind them. Aria looked around, "Chess pieces? Interesting, grab one and lets move," she said equipping her weapon once more.

Riley walked up to a black pawn piece and grabbed it, "Got one, status on the Grimm?"

"Imminent engagement!" she yelled back, the blade popping out of her weapon. She stabbed forward, smashing through the beowolve's bone mask, shoving the blade deep into its head.

Riley saw another beowolf jump at Aria while she pulled her weapon out, "Watch it!" The Grimm swung its claw but never got the chance to hit. A chained spear found its way into its stomach, and was subsequently pulled away from Aria.

The boy with the chain from early walked up, "Roxford, good to meet you."

"Uhm, Riley Yeltic, and that's Aria, thanks for the help," Riley said, shaking hands with the boy.

"No problem, now if you'll excuse me, I have a partner to go save," he grabbed the other black pawn piece before running out and back the way he came.

Aria looked back over to Riley, "Well, that was weird."

He nodded back, "That it was, shall we head back to Beacon?" He received a nod from his partner; he refreshed his weapon before starting off, back the way they came as well.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Beacon Cliffs<strong>_

As Beacon came into view a screech drew their heads upwards. A Nevermore flew over them, Riley spoke up, "Damn, glad we're headed home, good luck to whoever has to face that."

Aria nodded in agreement, "I sure wouldn't want to fight one of those."

The duo made their way back up the cliffs, panting quietly as they reached the top. Riley had his hands on his legs as they stood in front of the two professors, "Holy hell, I'm not made for this kind of heat."

"Then you should have thought about that, before applying to a school situated in a place known for its unchanging weather, Mr. Yeltic," Professor Goodwitch chastised before returning to her tablet, allowing the other to take up speaking.

Ozpin slowly walked towards them, stopping a few feet from their positions, "Good to see you have arrived safely Mr. Yeltic, Ms. Katzen."

"Thank you, sir," Riley greeted, although his voice sounded tense, almost automatic.

Aria shot a glance towards her partner, "We have the relic right here." She pulled the black pawn from her pocket and extended her hand towards the headmaster. Ozpin grabbed it carefully and brought it before his eyes, "Chess, such a mysterious game."

"Uhm, I prefer checkers," Aria replied hesitantly, unsure if she should have even replied.

"Also an interesting game," he responded, "Although chess just has, so many meanings, if you will. A million different metaphors and allusions, a game of ideals and beliefs." Riley and Aria gave each other a quick glance, silently decided to allow the professor to continue. "Anyways, you have succeeded in your task, if you would please make your way to the auditorium, we should be starting the assignment of teams soon." As he finished he turned back towards the cliff, staring out into the forest.

The two turned towards each other, giving one another a shrug as they began their walk to the school. "Aria, Riley, hey guys, enjoy your initiation?" a voice asked from behind them.

Turning around, Riley saw Ottara standing there with another clad in black full body armor, something right out of a medieval fantasy. He looked back to Ottara, "Just fine, but I think I've had enough excitement for today."

"Lucky you, my partner and I didn't encounter a single Grimm. We did get lost a few times though," Ottara said with a shrug. He elbowed his partner in the gut.

The partner jumped up from the hit, "Ow! Right, I'm Xavier Gjelber, partner to Ottara here."

Aria spoke up first, "Good to meet you Xavier, I'm Aria Katzen."

Riley then interjected, "And I'm Riley, Riley Yeltic."

"Good to meet you guys as well," Xavier said, nodded to the duo.

Riley looked at the sky and let out a content sigh, "It's going to be one hell of a year."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Beacon Academy Auditorium<strong>_

"Ottara d'Artagan, Xavier Gjelber, Ethan Marro, and Taronja Natalie. You four will form team OXEN, led by Ottara d'Artagan," Ozpin's word echoed throughout the room as he announced teams, "Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren. You will form team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc."

"I knew you could do it Jaune," Pyrrha congratulated, punching him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground, "I'm sorry!" the action got a laugh from many in the room.

"Riley Yeltic, Aria Katzen, Onyx Zoller, and Roxford Verlassen. You will form team RAZR, led by, Riley Yeltic," Ozpin continued.

"Hey, good job Riley!" Aria said, giving her partner and now leader a slap on the back.

"Great, I'm going to get us all killed," Riley said sarcastically.

"Oh come on, it won't be that bad, although I'm sure a few of us will lose a few pieces," Aria responded with a smirk.

"Thanks, that makes it a lot better," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he left the stage with his team.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee before continuing, "Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. You will form team RWBY, led by, Ruby Rose."

"What?" the words came from Ruby's mouth.

"Yeah little sis! I Knew you had it in you!" came the voice of Yang.

"Good job Ruby," the calm words of Blake added.

"I can't believe this," the words barely a whisper out of a shocked Weiss's lips.

Ozpin looked over at Glynda, "Things are shaping out to be, an interesting year."

* * *

><p><strong>Song of the Chapter: Angel With A Shotgun (Nightcore)<strong>

**watch?v=cvaIgq5j2Q8&list=PLpTb3B4kyniUzHWUEAEQh2dgIbJsbv8IV&index=44**

**A/N: Sorry for the late release guys, I was kind of busy today, and then exhausted which caused me to completely forget about the upload. Thankfully my friend managed to bring it up and remind me.**

**I'd like to take a second to say thanks to TheRagingGamer for being such a fantastic editor.**

**Also, I'd like to ask you guys what you think about my actions scenes. I personally consider them one of, if not the, weakest part of my writing. Hopefully you guys can enlighten me on your own thoughts and maybe drop a few tips if you have them. Other than that, sleep well everyone.**


	5. Chapter 4: Good Morning

_**Chapter 4: Good Morning**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Team RAZR Dorm<em>**

The loud ringing of an alarm clock awoke Riley from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and leaned up, taking in his new life one more time.

Aria lay to his right, her chest slowly rising and falling, still asleep it seemed. Across the room Zoller was half out of his bed, snoring loudly. Behind him Roxford was sat up, looking at Riley, "Morning leader, sleep well?"

He groggily yawned, "I suppose, not as peaceful as back home, but I suppose not many things will be here."

The other boy laughed lightly, "Yeah, I suppose so. Anyways, I'm going to take Onyx and go get something to eat. We'll see you in class." The rooms comm terminal began to beep lightly, signifying that a call was incoming, "That was fast."

Riley shook his head, "If it is who I think it is, this is actually kind of late." He got up from his bed and walked over to the terminal, selecting the pick up button.

A small girl with auburn hair stood there, with a huge grin on her face, "Big Brother! Hey there, do you like Beacon? What team are you on? Did you sleep well? Who is your partner?"

Riley held up his hands, both as a goodbye wave to Roxford and to silence his sister. He developed a playful smirk, "Hey there Coraline, how have you been, Titan treating you well?"

"Hey! Answer my questions first!" she said sticking her tongue out at him.

Riley rolled his eyes, "Fine, let's see. I do like Beacon, I slept well. I'm the leader of team RAZR and my partner is Aria Katzen, a faunas."

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" his sister squealed, "Does she have cute little ears?"

Riley let out of small laugh, "That she does, I think she is some kind of feline."

"An Ocelot to be exact," came Aria's voice; Riley turned to look at her. Her hair was thrown everywhere from sleep and her ears were pushed down. Her tailed waved slowly back and forth, and her eyes had this half-closed feeling to them. She had this small smile though, which in turn brought a smile to Riley's, _'He had to admit she did look kind of cute.'_

"Awww, Riley, why do you get all the cool partners?" His sister's voice brought him back to reality.

"I heard that!" a voice called off-screen from Coraline's end.

His sister turned to the left, "Whatever Mako, maybe if you were more interesting you wouldn't hear it."

Big brother snorted, "I see you haven't changed a bit, so I guess things are going good over there?"

She nodded back to him, "Yep! And guess what? I'm a leader too! You're looking at the proud leader of team CMLN!"

Riley had a huge smile, "That's great, told you you'd be a leader, just like mom."

"Hey, but you're a leader too! We're all leaders, except dad, but he's cool enough to not need to be a leader," she said with a laugh.

"That he is. Anyways sis, I think we should get back to our teams, I'm sure they're missing us," Riley said.

"Hardly," interjected Aria quickly.

"Okay! See you later big brother, call me after school!" his sister said, barely keeping herself from jumping all over the room.

"Have a good day at school!" he called out before ending the call, and turning to Aria.

"You know, now that I think of it she reminds me a lot of Ruby," Aria stated, turning towards the bathroom.

"Yeah, I suppose they do have their similarities," Riley answered with a nod.

"Well, big brother, I'm going to go get ready, I'll be out in a few minutes," she said with a smirk.

"Dear god, please do not call me that," he said with a sigh, "I tolerate it because she's my sister and I'm literally her big brother." All he received was a shake of her head as she walked into the bathroom.

A few minutes passed before his partner came walking out of the bathroom, "Okay, I'm done; also, where is Onyx and Roxford?"

"They left earlier, said they were going to go get something to eat," he said with a shrug as he headed toward his bag.

"Hmph, well breakfast doesn't start for another twenty minutes, they must have gone to Vale," she said, crossing her arms in disapproval.

"I guess so, anyways, I'll go get ready," he said, grabbing his clothes from his bag. As he walked into the bathroom, he sat his bundle of clothes on the sink. He quickly removed his night clothes, tossing them onto the floor. A sigh released from his mouth as he stepped into the shower, turning on the water, letting the ice cold water engulf him.

He let out another tired sigh, "Well, Riley, here you are. As everyone else in your family, you've made it to Beacon." He leaned against the shower wall, "Now I just need to make a mark, be the best," he shook his head, "Good luck with that; sorry dad, I'm just not the hero you want me to be." He cleaned himself, and turned off the water. He stepped out, the water dripping onto the floor. He dried himself as he stepped in front of the mirror.

He saw himself, just not himself. He saw the true him, the person he really was. He frowned, two different people wanted his mind. Two different people that just happened to be the same person.

He dressed himself and walked out of the room, smiling at his partner as he did, "I'm ready, want to head down to breakfast?"

She nodded, "Damn, you took a long time in there, you sure you're not a woman?"

Riley smiled, "Pretty sure, let's get moving." His partner followed him out the door as they made their way to breakfast.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Beacon Academy Cafeteria<strong>_

As the duo walked into the cafeteria they were met by a very inactive school. There was maybe five or six teams in the building.

"Hey, Riley, over here!" the voice of Ottara yelled. The two looked over and saw team OXEN sitting down at a table to the left. Riley waved at them; Aria and him grabbed their food before sitting down across from their friends. "Morning guys, how did you sleep?"

Aria laid her tray down on the table, "Good."

Riley dropped his tray on the table, "Fine, and you guys?"

Ottara glanced down the table, looking into the souls of his teammates, "We're good."

Taronja jumped onto the seat, "We're superb!"

Riley smiled as he took a seat, "Good to hear."

"So, where is the rest of your team?" his fellow leader questioned.

Aria looked up, "We think they went to Vale to eat."

Xavier raised an eyebrow, "Going all the way to Vale just to eat? Seems like a waste of time and lien to me."

"Yeah, well if that's what they do, who are we to complain?" Riley said with a shrug.

"I suppose so," Ottara said, "But don't you think you should get working on teamwork. Many of us haven't ever even met our teammates."

"Well, yeah, I didn't think of it like that," Riley sighed, "I'll have to talk to them." A bell rang out within the school, signaling the end of breakfast. Riley glanced down at his watch, "Guess we should get to our classes; come on Aria, we've got Grimm Studies first." The group all got up, saying their goodbyes before splitting off to their respective classes.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Grimm Studies Classroom<strong>_

"Good morning students! I am Professor Port and I'm hear to teach you about the creatures we dedicate our life to hunting," boomed a short, stubby man with a mustache like no other. He stepped in front of his desk, "Monsters! Demons! Yes, the Creatures of Grimm have many names; but I just call them prey! Ah ha!"

The class was completely silent, all of them staring at the teacher with uncaring eyes. Riley leaned closer to Aria, "He reminds me of Mr. Bosnack back at Titan."

Aria smiled, "That is exactly what I was thinking, Bosnack was insane." Riley quietly laughed, returning his focus back to the front.

"Anyways, who can tell me what a Grimm is?" Port asked, looking around the room, "Ah, Miss Rose, what is a Grimm?"

Ruby looked over to Weiss before returning her view to the teacher, "Well, like you said, they're monsters. They lack a soul, and with that, an aura. They seem to have been almost singularly created to try and kill humans as they seem to have no quarrel with the average animal."

Professor nodded, "Exactly; the Creatures of Grimm are soulless, and can't produce an aura. That is one of the primary advantages that humans have over the Grimm. Now, can anyone tell me where the Grimm came from?"

A silence washed over the classroom as students looked at each other. Riley didn't remember ever learning about that back at Titan, he looked over at Aria, who looked just as confused.

"As I thought, the truth is, I couldn't tell you," he said looking over the classroom, "No one could, they've been here as long as we can remember, and they don't seem to have plans on leaving anytime soon." His face grew somber as he continued, "Humanity has been locked in an eternal struggle with the Grimm, and we're losing." He paced back and forth, stopping in front of team RWBY, "Our world is in chaos, ladies and gentlemen. That is why we are here, to bring order to the chaos of Remnant."

"Sir?" the voice came from Jaune, "It sounds like there isn't any hope, so why keep fighting?"

Port walked over, coming to stop over the boy, "For those who can't, Mr. Arc. We fight to defend the defenseless. If that means we must die for a lost cause, then that is what we'll do. As hunters, we've sworn an oath to defend our people, Human and Faunas alike, from the creatures that would have them dead. So Mr. Arc, why do we keep fighting? Because we must." "A true hunter must be vigilant, dependable, responsible, and most importantly, a true hunter must be willing to sacrifice themselves for the life of others. Who among you feel like you are the embodiment of these traits?" he asked, looking around.

"I do sir!" came the stern voice belonging to Weiss Schnee.

"Then show us," Port said back, motioning to a cage behind him. Weiss got up and walked to front of class. "Equip your weapon, girl, and do not hold back, it certainly won't." He grabbed his weapon, a rudimentary looking blunderbuss with axe blades on the rear. The lock shattered as the blades slammed into them, pieces of the contraption scattering around the room.

The door burst open, a boarbatusk rolling out straight towards Weiss. She dodged to the left, getting back into stance. She summoned a glyph under her, and shot forward, slamming her blade into the creature, launching herself over it with a jump.

"Go Weiss!" Ruby cheered.

"Quiet," Weiss hissed, rolling out of the way of another charge. She sliced at the creature but her attacks were doing nothing.

"Weiss, its underbelly has no armor, aim there," Ruby yelled as Weiss was pushed towards her, slightly tapping up against the table.

"Ruby, will you shut up?" Weiss yelled. The boarbatusk charged again, this time, Weiss summoned a glyph in front of her. The creature slammed into it and fell onto its back. She summoned another glyph under her, launching her in the air, before she caught herself with another. She then launched forward, shoving her rapier into the creature's stomach. She quickly got up and sheathed her weapon, she headed for the door.

Ruby stood up, "Weiss I-"

"Just leave me alone," Weiss said continuing to walk away.

The bell rang as Port shook his head at the events that just passed, "Class is dismissed, enjoy your day."

The rest of the class had left already when Riley and Aria stood up. Riley looked down at Ruby, then back at his partner, "Hey Aria, head on without me, I've something I need to do."

Aria looked back at Riley, then to Ruby; she nodded before taking her leave.

Riley walked down the aisle and placed his hand on Ruby's shoulder, "Hey there, how are you feeling?"

"Bad," was all she said.

"Hey, look, don't worry about it. It's your first day, Weiss will come around once she gets to know you better, trust me," Riley said, he wasn't the best at this, but he tries.

Ruby looked up at him, "Yeah, I guess." She stood up and walked for the door, still as somber as before.

Riley walked to the door, he looked back at the classroom. He learned a lot more than he thought he would in the first class. He turned back to the door and walked through, "Shit, I have no idea where I'm going."

* * *

><p><strong>Song of the Chapter: Anima Libera (Nightcore)<strong>

**watch?v=dV_m1H3hDio&list=PLpTb3B4kyniUzHWUEAEQh2dgIbJsbv8IV&index=64**

**A/N: Holy fuck, I really am terrible at sticking to deadlines. How about from now I just say, expect the next chapter on Friday at some time within the day.**

**Anyways, thanks for checking the story out, and have a nice night.**

**Also, just a quick thanks to TheRagingGamer for being my editor, can't thank you enough for your work.**


	6. Chapter 5: Day Two

_**Chapter 5: Day Two**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Team RAZR's Dorm<em>**

"Shut up clock," Riley groaned as the alarm clock started ringing. He sat up, slapping the off button on the alarm. Yawning as he stood up, his movements stopped as he investigated the other pair's beds, "Wait a minute, oh damnit." Onyx and Roxford were already gone, leaving no note of where they were.

"Morning Riley," Aria said quietly, still not fully awake.

He sighed, "Morning Aria."

She sat up and looked at him, "Something wrong?"

He motioned towards the other side of the room, "They're gone again Aria, just like that."

"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine," she said, throwing her covers off.

"Don't worry? Aria they skipped the first class yesterday, literally the first class of our Beacon career!" he yelled, less out of anger and more out of irritation.

"Yelling about it definitely isn't going to do anything," she said, grabbing her clothes and heading for the bathroom. She pushed open the door and disappeared into the room.

Riley fell back onto his bed, "One day and my team is falling apart." He closed his eyes, determined to block out the world.

"Hey, who said you could go back to sleep?" a far away voice said.

Riley opened his eyes, "What?" A punch to the gut woke him up, "What the hell was that for?"

"For being irresponsible," Aria said with a disapproving frown, "now go get ready." Riley got up and dragged himself into the bathroom, not ready for today's events.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Beacon Academy Cafeteria<strong>_

Riley and Aria walked into the cafeteria, the smell of pancakes ramming into them as they sat down, neither really feeling like eating.

"Okay, I'll bite, what's wrong?" Ottara said, breaking the silence that had plagued them for the last few minutes.

"Those two!" Riley exclaimed, "I have absolutely no idea where they are right now. We've had three classes so far, and they've managed to miss one."

Aria shook his head, "What he is trying to say is that he is frustrated by the irresponsibility of the other half of our team."

Riley slammed his head down onto the table, "Yeah."

Ottara was going to say something when the doors opened, "Oh, what a coincidence, look who decides to grace us with their presence."

Riley peaked over to the entrance, where Onyx and Roxford stood, talking to each other. They walked over to the table and sat down to the left of Riley, who looked up at them, "Where have you two been?"

Roxford looked over at him, "Places."

Riley squinted his eyes, "What kind of places?"

He received a glare from his teammate, "Important places."

"Whatever, just don't miss another class," Riley shot back, getting up from his place and walking out of the cafeteria.

Aria stood up and looked at Ottara, "Sorry about him." The boy waved it off as she left to follow him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Grimm Studies Classroom<strong>_

Aria walked into the classroom, looking for her partner. She found him already in his seat, with his head on the table. She took her seat next to him, "Hey."

"Hi," was all she received.

"You know, it isn't very leader-like to act like this, right?" she asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I know, my mom would kill me if she saw me like this," he spoke, his voice muffled by his hoodie, "I'm not meant to be a leader."

Aria looked at her partner, worry in her eyes, "Hey, don't talk like that, Ozpin wouldn't have picked you if you weren't up for the job."

Riley shook his head, "I'm pretty sure that is exactly why he picked me."

Aria patted her partner on the back as the bell rang. She took her seat, preparing for the lesson to come.

"Good morning class!" Professor Port said as he walked into the classroom. He took his place up front before turning to face the class, "I'm afraid today's lesson will not be as interesting as yesterday's.

Riley raised his head slightly, trying to at least look like he was paying attention.

"Today we will be starting our first partner project. You are to create a detailed report on a single species of Grimm of your choice. The report will contain information on attack patterns, primary defenses, how to defeat them, etc," the teacher explained, "It will be no less than six pages and contain at least four visual assistants. A more detailed list of information has been sent to your scrolls, now get to work!"

Riley groaned, allowing his head to slam back into his desk.

Aria smiled, "So, what Grimm do you want to pick?"

He looked over at her, "How about the leviathan?"

"That sounds good," she said nodding, "Although I'm not sure we'd find much information about the King Leviathan."

Riley nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I mean the creature itself is just speculated. No one has ever seen or fought one, and if they have, they didn't live to tell the tale."

"Wouldn't be surprising if the stories are true," Aria added.

"Yeah..." was all her partner said in response. Aria smiled, step one of plan 'get Riley to not be sad' was complete.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Beacon Academy Sparring Room<strong>_

Riley and Aria stepped into the classroom, or rather, the large arena with a few benches on the side. The bell rang and the other students began to file in, Roxford and Zoller among them. As the teams formed up, Professor Goodwitch spoke up, "Afternoon students, today we will begin the first sparring match of the year. Two students will be faced against each other; they will fight until either one of the student's auras reach red levels or is caught in a lethal position. So, our first pair shall be, Riley Yeltic and Aria Katzen."

Aria looked over to her partner, a worried look on her face.

Riley smirked, "Is the kitty worried about losing?"

He received a glare from his partner, "Call me that again and we won't have to worry about you beating anyone ever again."

"I'm sure," he said with a laugh, getting up from his seat. They went to the locker room and changed into their gear. They returned to the classroom, words of luck passing between each other as they took opposite spots on the field.

Riley gave one last look at his partner, receiving a smile in return. He grinned taking up a combat stance, keeping his weapon locked on his belt. Aria ignited the holo-wire on her weapon and nocked an arrow, keeping a relaxed stance.

"Begin," the voice of Professor Goodwitch echoed throughout the class.

Aria aimed and loosed her first arrow. Riley rolled under it and ran forward, straight towards his partner. She nocked another arrow and loosed, this time Riley kicked the arrow to the side, sending it flying into the wall. He reached her before the next arrow could be nocked, throwing a punch in Aria's direction. She brought up a hand of her own to deflect and then quickly put away her weapon as another fist came at her. She parried again, sending a kick at her leader.

Riley jumped over the foot and swung his own foot, hitting Aria in the side of head, sending her sliding a few feet. He gave her a smile before returning to a combat stance. Aria rubbed her cheek before taking off at her opponent. She threw the next punch, then again and again, all of them being easily parried. She spun around and sent her elbow against Riley, it connecting with his gut, making him take a few steps back.

Aria jumped at him, equipping her yari and taking a swing. Riley brought out his halberd and ducked under the attack, taking a swing of his own. Aria brought her pole down, blocking the attack, which Riley used to his own advantage. He hooked his blade around the pole and pulled himself towards his target, slamming head first into her gut, taking them both to the floor.

Aria kicked him off, jumping up and returning to her stance as a spear came towards her. She brought her weapon in front of her, barely blocking the weapon, which bounced up into the air. Riley jumped up, catching his weapon and coming back down, halberd aimed for her. The blade struck Aria in the chest, knocking her back a few yards. Riley sped towards her throwing another swing, she brought up her weapon to block. Riley's weapon connected with the pole, Aria's single hand not enough to keep hold. The weapon was sent flying across the room, landing in front of team RWBY. Riley smirked as he brought his weapon's spear point up to his partner's neck, "Checkmate."

"And that's the match," Professor Goodwitch said, "Can anyone tell me what Miss Katzen could have done better? Yes, Miss Schnee?"

"Her weapon is designed to keep opponents at a distance, allowing Riley to get close to her early immediately gave the advantage to him, after that she never regained the advantage," Weiss explained.

"Indeed, Miss Katzen, while you may have unarmed skill, it obviously does not match up to Mr. Yeltic's. You should focus on keeping any future targets at your weapon's preferred range," Goodwitch continued.

Aria nodded as she collected her weapon, heading for the locker room with Riley in tow.

Riley stopped her right outside the door, "Hey Aria, is something wrong, that definitely was not your best back in there."

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be fine?" she asked, taking a defensive voice.

"Whoa, I didn't mean anything by it, I just know what you're capable of. I don't think I ever saw anyone beat you back at Titan," Riley said, putting his hands up.

"Well, we aren't at Titan anymore," she stated, walking away, leaving Riley in the hallway.

"I suppose," Riley whispered, kicking at the floor before running to catch up with his partner.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Team RAZR's Dorm<strong>_

A knocking sound burst through the silence that was team RAZR's dorm room. Riley stood up, walking to the door, which he opened. "Oh, hey there Ruby, need something?" he asked to the caped girl in front of him.

"Have you seen Yang, I can't find her anywhere," her voice was shaky, almost reluctant to talk.

"I'm afraid not," he said, noticing the girl's tone, "Hey, is something wrong."

She looked at her feet before back up, "Can I talk to you,"

"Of course," Riley answered, "what about?"

Ruby looked behind him, at his teammates, "Alone."

Riley looked back at his team, "Hey Aria, I'll be back in a few."

She looked up from their assignment, "Fine, but hurry up, I'm not doing this report by myself."

He nodded, closing the door behind him as he left, "So, what's wrong, Ruby?"

"Uhm, it's about Weiss," Ruby said quietly.

"Did she yell at you again?" Riley asked, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"No, no, it isn't that," she quickly explained, "It's just that... well you see... uhm, it's about, uh..."

"Ruby, listen, if you're not comfortable talking about it, don't," Riley said, smiling at her, "I'll be here when you are."

"No, I want to talk about it, its just really embarrassing," she said, keeping her eyes locked on the floor, "I, uh, kind of, really like Weiss."

"Okay? I don't see how this is embarrassing," Riley said, completely missing the true meaning of the statement.

"Like, really, really like her," she said quickly while closing her eyes.

Riley eyes widened in realization, "Oh, I see."

"Yeah," Ruby breathed.

"Well that was quick, love at first sight?" he smirked, not allowing her to answer before continuing, "I'm guessing she doesn't know this?" He received a nod in response. "So, you want my assistance in this matter, how?"

"Uhm, I don't know, I'm just really confused right now," Ruby explained.

"Okay, don't tell her, right now that might make things worse," Riley said, "We need to get her more comfortable with you and your personality."

Ruby nodded, "Well, how do we do that?"

Riley grinned, "I have a few ideas, why don't you get some sleep, we're going to have a fun weekend."

"Okay Riley, you're the best!" Ruby ran forward and wrapped him in a hug.

Riley smiled and returned the hug, "It's my pleasure."

Ruby released the embrace and ran back to her room, waving as she did so.

"So, what was that about, we heard some mumbling, then an extremely happy sounding Ruby," Aria questioned, looking up from her paper.

"Oh nothing," Riley smiled, taking a seat next to his partner, returning to work on their assignment.

Aria narrowed her eyes and frowned, "Of course."

* * *

><p><strong>Song of the Chapter: Perfect Two (Nightcore)<strong>

**watch?v=h3WMCm1NLnM&index=96&list=PLpTb3B4kyniUzHWUEAEQh2dgIbJsbv8IV**

**A/N: So, my dearest apologies for not posting a chapter last week, and being late this week; I'm still getting use to this whole writing and posting thing.**

**Anyways, in recompense, I'll be posting two chapters to make up for lost time and to keep to my terribly created schedule. I hope you enjoy these two and hopefully I won't be late posting next week's.**

**Once again, I'd like to thank my awesome editor TheRagingGamer for his hard work on making sure this is the best it can be. Anyways, goodnight guys, and sleep well.**


	7. Chapter 6: Weekend War

_**Chapter 6: Weekend War**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Team RAZR's Dorm<em>**

Riley opened his eyes, flipping the alarm clock off before it rang. Truthfully, he'd been awake for the last hour, thinking about his plan to assist Ruby. Maybe his idea was both a little extreme and unnecessarily ridiculous. Sure his idea may end in his painful death and/or torture. No problem that he was about to piss off the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the world. None of that mattered, because it was all for love! At least, that is what Riley told himself to rationalize what he was about to do.

He stood up, checking his scroll, "Good, still have a hour before the party starts." Grabbing his clothes, he retreated to the bathroom, preparing for the day to come.

"Morning Riley," Aria greeted as he stepped out of the bathroom.

"Good morning, sleep well?" he asked, stepping to the side, allowing her passage.

"I suppose, you?" she answered, walking past him.

He smiled to himself, "You could say that." He received a disapproving shake of the head from his partner as she entered to the bathroom.

The hour passed quickly, Riley becoming more and more nervous as the minutes ticked away. Aria noticed this easily, "Hey Riley, you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, why?" he questioned, looking over at his partner.

"Well, you haven't sat still for more than five seconds and you aren't trying to annoy me," she explained with a smirk, "Also you seemed to have completely missed the fact that Onyx and Roxford were missing again this morning."

"Oh, I see," he said with a shrug, "I'll talk to them about it later." Aria eyed her partner with both curiosity, and worry; she gave him a smile before returning to her work.

The clock buzzed, signaling that it was time to roll. Riley picked up his scroll, dialing Ruby. A click designated that she had accepted, her face popping to life on the screen, "Hey Riley! Is it time?"

Riley smiled and nodded, "That it is. I've dealt with OXEN, just get Blake, Yang, JNPR, and yourself out of there. I'll make sure everything is set up for Weiss's return."

"Okay, can do, I'll talk to you later," she said with a smile, "And Riley? Thanks for this."

He smiled back at her, "It is my pleasure." He ended the call, sitting back down on his bed.

Aria looked back up, "Who was that?"

"Ruby," he said, looking back at his partner.

"Oh?" she said, narrowing her eyes, "What did she want?"

Riley shrugged in return, "Just wanted to talk." He got a nod from his partner as he heard the thumping of a large group of people walking through the hallway. He jumped up and walked over to the door, pushing it open a little, looking at the crowd.

"Okay, everyone is accounted for, look's like Ruby's part of the plan has succeeded," he said, fully opening the door, "Initiate plan, get Riley killed for a girl he barely knows."

Aria heard that part, "What? Why are you dying?"

"What? Oh just some fun I have planned," he explained with a smirk.

"I can't wait," Aria responded sarcastically, returning to her work.

"I'll be back in a few," Riley said, grabbing a bucket full of items and heading out the door.

Aria glanced over at him, obviously disinterested, "Do attempt not to die, we still have that project to finish."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Team RWBY's Dorm<strong>_

"Okay, let's just put this up here," Riley said, lifting the bucket up above the door, "And just wrap this here, and attach that to that." "Okay, RWBY's dorm, check," he said, marking the imaginary checklist in his mind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Team JNPR's Dorm<strong>_

"Hmm, I could create a mechanism for that, it'll take some time, though," Riley said to himself, rubbing his chin, "I better get to work."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Team OXEN's Dorm<strong>_

"Okay, check JNPR's dorm, now just OXEN's and I'm good," he said, setting his makeshift toolbox on the ground. He pulled four cans out of his bag, "Okay, if I use a string based system to react to the opening of the dorm, this could be rather simple."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Team RAZR's Dorm<strong>_

Riley brushed himself off as he stepped into his dorm, gaining the attention of his partner, "You've obviously been busy, sure you can't tell me?"

He shook his head, "Sorry, once everything is said and done, maybe, but not yet." All he got was a roll of his partner's eyes as she went back to doing whatever she was doing. He opened his scroll, taking one last breath as he dialed the number he so dreaded, Weiss Schnee.

It rung four times before Weiss's image popped up on screen, her trademark frown spread upon her face, "Riley? What do you need?"

"Oh, Ruby needs your help, she's over in her dorm," Riley explained, that sounded good.

"And, why are you telling me this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley gulped, how had he been that stupid, he thought quickly, "She has no idea where her scroll is, and Yang and Blake are out getting lunch."

Weiss sighed, "I told that dolt to keep in on her at all times, tell her I'll be there soon."

"Will do, Weiss," Riley answered with a nod, ending the call, allowing himself to breathe fully.

"Should I even ask why that conversation happened?" Aria asked without looking up from her scroll.

"Nah, all will be explained in time," Riley responded, leaning back on his bed, placing his hands behind his head, "Now we wait."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Team RAZR's Dorm<strong>_

A loud shriek pierced the silence throughout the room, both occupants jolting from their half asleep states. Aria's eyes were filled with worry, Riley's with fear. Aria grabbed her weapon, "That sounds like Weiss, we should go check on her."

Riley grabbed her hand and held her back, "No, no we shouldn't, trust me." Another loud crash was heard, followed by another scream. Heels clicked down the hall, towards their dorm, Riley just hoped she'd go to OXEN's dorm first.

"I'm going to kill her!" they heard Weiss yell as she barged into the dorm across from them, earning another scream. Riley scrambled for the camera on his scroll, lining it up with the door, a smirk forming across his face.

"Riley!" Weiss yelled, kicking in the door, Aria taking a step back, Riley slamming his hand down on the take picture button repeatedly.

"Weiss, whatever it is, it was all Riley's plan and you should definitely kill him instead of me," Aria quickly said, grabbing her weapon once again.

"Wow, way to give me up so easily Aria, and here I thought we were friends," Riley said with a smirk as he grabbed his weapon and slammed his way through the window, Weiss quickly following him.

He slammed into the ground, rolling forwards, immediately pointing himself towards the front doors of Beacon. He took off, hoping to leave Weiss behind quickly. He heard Weiss land behind him, and the distinctive sound of her weapon being drawn, "Riley, I swear if you stop, I'll make it painless."

Riley nervously laughed, "I don't like the sound of that; I think I'll take my chances in escaping!"

"So be it," she said menacingly, summoning a glyph under her. She shot forward, quickly gaining on Riley as he reached the first step; many students had already turned to watch the scene.

Riley heard her coming and turned around, unpacking his weapon and lifting it up, blocking the strike he knew was coming. He kicked up, knocking the weapon out of the exhausted heiress's hand. He folded his weapon back up and continued his run up the stairs.

"Damnit," he heard Weiss whisper.

"Is that all you got!" Riley yelled, doing his best to antagonize her. It obviously worked, he thought, as Weiss and him went flying through the front doors, sliding across the room. They both stood up, readying their weapons, prepared for a fight to the death.

Or at least, they were preparing for it, before Ruby ran up behind Weiss and hugged her, "Weiss, please don't hurt him."

Weiss scoffed, pushing the taller girl away from her, "Why shouldn't I, look at what he did to me."

Ruby quickly glanced up and down at the heiress, who's dress had been pretty much ruined, "It was just some fun, you should try it some time."

Weiss sighed, too tired to argue, "I don't know if I can even make it back to the dorm."

Ruby quickly jumped into action, this part she knew what to do. She quickly picked Weiss up in a bridal carry, "Don't worry partner! I have come to save you!"

"Ruby!" Weiss squealed, "Put me down this instant."

"Nope," Ruby said, "You're coming with me whether you like it or not, you need rest and I'm going to make sure you get it."

"You know what?" Weiss said, throwing her hands up, "I don't care anymore, just take me to our dorm." Ruby began her walk towards the dorms, quickly giving Riley a wink and smile as she passed him, which he returned.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Team RAZR's Dorm<strong>_

Riley sighed as he fell into his bed, it had been one hell of a day. He was honestly surprised he was alive to see the end of it. Aria was already asleep when he returned, so he decided to not wake her up to explain, he'd save it for tomorrow. Riley gave himself a smile, proud of his actions, he decided he'd check on Coraline tomorrow, see if she was getting settled in fine. He looked back at the clock and sighed, "One hell of a year, indeed."

* * *

><p><strong>Song of the Chapter: Could It Be Love (Nightcore)<strong>

**watch?v=LhQkIzLW-g&index=68&list=PLpTb3B4kyniUzHWUEAEQh2dgIbJsbv8IV  
><strong>

**A/N: Well, there you go, sorry again about all the lateness, and the rather short chapter.  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 7: Dinner at Davie's

_**Chapter 7: Dinner at Davie's**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Team RAZR's Dorm<em>**

Riley yawned, stretching his arms outwards as he awoke. He pulled himself up, taking in the current condition of the room. Which was pretty normal, except, "Oh look, Roxford and Onyx are actually here." He stood up, flicking off the alarm clock before it woke anyone else up. He walked over to Roxford, shaking him lightly.

"I'm up, I'm up, no need to bother me," Roxford said quietly, rolling over.

Riley shook his head and smiled, "If I don't bother you, you'll most likely be asleep within 10 minutes."

"Probably," was the barely whispered response he got from his teammate. Riley rolled his eyes and grabbed his clothes as he headed for the shower.

As he walked out of the bathroom, he caught the voice of Aria,  
>"Okay, we'll see you then."<p>

"Who are we seeing, and when?" he asked as he walked over to his bed, noting the absence of Roxford and Onyx.

"Team RWBY, at Davie's Diner in about six hours for lunch," she answered, pocketing her scroll.

Riley gulped, "Weiss is going to be there?"

Aria nodded, "Ruby was very adamant in making sure I knew who was going. She also said to tell you thanks, for what, who knows."

"I think I do," Riley said with a smile.

Aria eyed him questioningly, "Anyways, I thought we could go for a walk to pass the time."

"Sounds fun," the boy agreed, jumping up from his bed.

"Okay, I'll go take a shower and then we can head out," she said, standing up and grabbing her clothes. She quickly disappeared into the bathroom and Riley turned his attention to his scroll.

* * *

><p>"Okay, you ready?" Aria asked as she stepped from the bathroom.<p>

Riley nodded, "Yep, where are we walking to anyways?"

She shrugged, "Vale."

"That, doesn't really help me at all," the boy sighed, rubbing his forehead. He received another shrug in return as his partner exited the room. Riley rolled his eyes as he grabbed his weapon; locking it onto his belt before running out the door, moving to catch up with his partner.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Vale Docks<strong>_

They walked off the airship, taking in Vale for the first time since their arrival at Beacon. Riley looked over at his partner, "So, where to first?"

She looked over at him, "There is this bookstore I wanted to check out, then I need to grab another arrow since you shattered one."

Riley gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, sorry about that." Aria just rolled her eyes and started off, her leader close behind her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Downtown Vale<strong>_

Riley took in the scenery of the small store they had just walked into, Tukson's Book Trade. The place was packed with books, lining multiple shelves and on stands throughout the floor.

"I'll be with you in a minute!" a voice called from the back. Aria went to the counter and leaned against it, waiting for service while Riley slowly walked around, looking over the different books.

He stopped and pulled a book from the shelve, examining the back, "So, what do you need from here?"

"Just picking up an order," she answered, lightly tapping her fingers against the counter.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!" a large man heartily exclaimed, walking up to the counter, "How may I assist you today?"

"I'm here to pick up an order," Aria said, sliding a slip over to the man.

He grabbed the paper and looked it over, "Okay, I'll be back in a few moments."

Riley sneaked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder, eliciting a squeal and a jump from the bored faunas. He stifled a laugh, "So, what book are you getting?"

She glared at him, "None of your business."

He shrugged, "As long as it isn't those things Blake reads, I think everything will be fine."

Aria rolled her eyes, "As if I'd stoop so low." Riley grinned, before heading back to browsing the store.

"Alright, here you go," Tukson said, handing a package to Aria, "I went ahead a wrapped it for you, just in case."

Riley squinted his eyes, "Are you sure it isn't one of those books Blake reads?" A deep red blush spread across Aria's face, forcing a smirk to spread across Riley's, "Oh, I see, picking up the latest copy of Ninja's of Love are we?"

"No!" Aria yelled, "It's just, none of your business."

"Whatever you say," he said, "I'll be outside when you calm down, wouldn't want anyone to see your blush would you?"

The statement only deepened her blush as she quietly spoke, "Thanks Tukson."

"Of course, come back anytime, Aria," he answered with a wave as the girl followed her leader out of the building.

The boy stopped right outside the door, "Wait until I tell Blake about this, you two will have so much more to talk about then."

"I hate you," Aria muttered, stepping in front of him and moving towards her next destination, keeping her book hugged close to her chest.

"Aww," he feigned hurt, "Why do you wound me like that?"

"I'm going to murder you in your sleep," Aria muttered, no hint of joking in her voice.

Riley gulped, "Uh, yeah, sorry about that." He looked up at the sign as they stepped into the next store, From Dust Till Dawn. "The name sounds familiar," he stated to himself.

Aria glanced over at him as she walked up to the dust section, "I believe this is the store that Ruby had her little run in with Torchwick at."

He hummed in acknowledgment, before taking a place next to his partner, both examining the dust. Aria quickly picked out a steel arrow, carefully selecting the best from the group.

Riley stepped up to the pure dust, grabbing a box of black dust. He moved around the store quickly, selecting material for more rounds. When he reached the front, Aria had already finished her purchase and was looking through a magazine.

He stepped up to the counter, placing his items on it; an old man stood behind it, "Will this be all for you today?"

"Yep," Riley responded, grabbing his lien chip from his pocket. He swiped it onto the machine, and quickly punched in his key code. The machine processed quickly, quietly beeping, confirming the success of the sale.

"Thank you for your business," the old man said.

"Thanks for the supplies," Riley called back as he stepped out of the store, Aria close behind him.

"Okay, let's head back to Beacon, drop this stuff off; then I guess we could just hang out until dinner," Aria offered with a shrug.

Riley nodded, "Sounds great, let's head on back then."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Team RAZR's Dorm<strong>_

"Aria, hurry up!" Riley yelled as he locked his weapon on his belt, "We need to move or we're going to be late!"

She walked out of the bathroom, "Will you calm down?"

"No, I will not," he sighed, "We said we'd be there by seven, and it is currently six thirty-five."

"See? Plenty of time," Aria said, waving the problem away.

"Twenty minutes of which will be on an airship ride!" he shouted as he ran out the door, his partner quick on his heels.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Downtown Vale<strong>_

They stopped outside of the place, Davie's Diner, panting and out of breath. "Riley, when I said you'll be the death of me, I didn't mean for you to actually try to kill me," Aria said, hands on her knees as she breathed in and out slowly.

Riley allowed his breathing to return to normal and reset his hair, "We'll see, now lets go in, they've waited long enough." The duo walked into the place, taking in the scenery. "You know, when they said diner, I wasn't expecting a five star place that only the richest of Vale go to."

"Well, it is Weiss, we should have known," Aria stated with a shrug.

"Point taken," Riley quickly agreed, walking up to a small counter which had a waiter behind it.

"Hello, and welcome to Davie's Diner, I'm Markus," the waiter said with a polite bow, "How may I serve you today?"

"We're with the party for six, under Weiss Schnee," Aria said quickly.

"Of course, you're friends are waiting for you," he stated with a nod, "If you'd follow me, I'll lead you to them."

"Riley, Aria, where have you two been?" Ruby asked, getting up from her chair and giving Riley a hug.

Aria frowned, "We got caught up, hope we haven't kept you waiting for too long."

Riley easily noticed the irritation in Aria's voice, "Yeah, sorry about that, we came as soon as possible."

"Don't worry about it, we've just been chatting," Ruby said with a wave of her hand, motioning for the two to take their seats. Ruby was on the far right, Riley in the middle, and Aria took the left of their side. Blake took the seat across from Ruby, Yang took a seat across from Riley, and Weiss took the remaining chair.

Yang beamed at them, "So guys, what have you been up to lately?"

Riley smiled, "Not too much, we spend most of our time working on homework or trying to find the other half of our team."

"I noticed that they aren't around much outside of class," Ruby stated, "Where are they anyways?"

He gave a shrug in return, "No idea, they run off until we're asleep and then are gone when we awake. I haven't even spoken to Onyx yet."

Weiss scoffed, "Well that isn't very good, they need to remember that we need our teams."

Ruby laughed, "Look who's talking."

"Quiet, you dolt..." Weiss said quietly, returning to her water with renewed eagerness.

Riley began to open his mouth when the waiter appeared, "Hello, I'll be serving you tonight, do you have your orders ready?"

Riley and Aria quickly scanned the menu as their fellow students ordered, Yang going first, "I'll take a steak, super rare."

"One steak, super rare, and you miss?" he quietly said, nodding towards Ruby.

"Do you have any cookies?" Ruby questioned excitedly, earning a glare from her white-haired partner.

"We do, all the usual cookies have places on our menu," he explained with a chuckle, "We have-"

"I'll take chocolate chip, and some milk if you have that," the caped girl lightly squealed, bouncing up and down in her chair.

The waiter gave a small laugh, "One sweet treat coming up, and what can I get for you?"

His hand waved towards Blake, causing her to slightly look up from her book, "I'll have the baked salmon."

"Simple enough," he said, typing again into his scroll.

"I'll have a salad, no dressings or anything extra," Weiss said, with a commanding tone.

The waiter nodded lightly, "Of course, Miss Schnee, and you two?"

Riley looked up first, "I'll have the lasagna."

Aria piped up quickly after him, "I'll take the rabbit."

With one last nod, the waiter, turned on his heel, "Okay, I estimate your orders will be out within forty minutes, thank you for choosing Davie's this fine night."

"Anyways," Yang was the first to re-initiate the conversation, "How is dorm life treating you?"

Riley shrugged, "Nothing special, Titan always had co-ed dorms, I think Signal doesn't, right?"

Ruby shook her head, "Nope, and even if it did, I'm pretty sure dad wouldn't let us."

Yang sighed, "Yeah, he was a little over-protective."

"Beacon living conditions aren't that different from Titan," Aria added, "Rooms are a little bigger, I suppose."

Riley nodded in agreement, "Titan's rooms were tiny as hell."

Yang smiled, "Signal's rooms are pretty nice, I think they may actually be a little larger than Beacon."

Riley smiled and leaned in, "So Weiss, how have you been, Ruby treating you well?" Ruby's eyes widened as she kicked Riley's leg; he kept his smile as if nothing happened, keeping his gaze on Weiss.

Weiss had narrowed her eyes, obviously thinking the question over. All but Blake and Ruby had leaned in, waiting for an answer. Weiss looked a little disturbed as she answered, "Uh, yes, yes she has. While she was quite a handful at first, she has definitely proved herself to be a great leader, and a fantastic person, for a puppy."

Riley grinned and nodded, leaning back in his chair. Yang gave him a wink and smile. Aria frowned and looked between Ruby and Riley. Ruby had sunken into her seat, face as red as her namesake, covering herself with her cape. Even Blake had turned away from her book for a moment. Weiss looked worried, "Did I say something wrong?"

Riley shook his head, "Nope."

Half an hour went by pretty quickly, random conversations going on between a selection of different participants. Soon enough three waiters, including the one that had taken their orders came up to them, holding two plates each.

The familiar waiter stepped up to them, "You're meals have arrived." He lightly set his plates down in front of Weiss and Aria, "If you require anything more, please, do not hesitate to ask." With that he walked off, leaving the girls, and guy, to their dinner.

They ate quietly, no more than a few scattered words being passed between the group during dinner. It was twenty minutes before the next words were spoken by Aria, "Well I think Riley and I should get heading back to Beacon, we still need to finish up some work."

Ruby jumped up, "Weiss and I are coming too."

Weiss narrowed her eyes, "We are?" Her leader shot a look towards her, indicating that, indeed, they were. Weiss shrugged as she stood up, grabbing her jacket and heading for the door, Ruby closely following her.

Riley stood up, looking back to the table, "Yang, Blake, guess we'll see you later." They both nodded as he turned to follow his partner, stepping out of the diner, into the freezing air, "Oh hey, I thought Vale didn't get cold."

Aria said nothing as she hugged herself, trying to keep warm. Ruby had brought her cape close to her, hugging it tightly. Weiss just shook her head, "Aria, aren't you from Atlas? This weather shouldn't bother you."

Aria looked over at the heiress, "I'm afraid cold resistance was one of the few traits I never inherited from my parents."

Riley stepped behind her, taking his hoodie off and placing around the shoulders of his partner, who jumped in surprise, "Take it, the cold doesn't bother me." Aria smiled back at him as she pulled the hoodie around her, taking in the warmth it provided. The group slowly walked back to the airship, silence following them all the way back to Beacon.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Beacon Academy Docks<strong>_

"You go ahead Aria," Riley commanded as he stepped out of the airship, "Ruby and I need to talk."

Weiss looked over to her cape-clad leader, who nodded, "Don't worry, Weiss, I'll only be a few minutes."

Their partners walked off before Ruby started the conversation by punching Riley in the shoulder, "What were you thinking? You don't just go asking that question, it's so weird."

Riley shrugged, "I guess I'm weird, anyways, we need to keep moving along with this whole make Weiss fall madly in love with Ruby within the first month of meeting plan, or else it has a chance to fall apart before it truly starts." The boy smirked, "True love at first sight, oh how romantic."

"Shut up," Ruby muttered, kicking at the ground, "and I know, I just don't want her finding out too early, she'll think I'm all weird, then not want to be my friend, and then-"

"Ruby, stop," Riley stated, a little harsher than he meant to, "That isn't going to happen. You take this as slow as you want to, just remember; if you don't act soon, it may be too late; I'm sure there are plenty of people here with eyes on the heiress." With that he turned towards Beacon and started off, leaving Ruby outside to think about his words.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Song of the Chapter: Naked (Nightcore)<strong>_

_**watch?v=kyyQNt_x8Fk&list=PLpTb3B4kyniUzHWUEAEQh2dgIbJsbv8IV&index=109**_

**A/N: Okay, there is chapter seven, finally getting to the White Rose that I've hinted at. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and the chapters to come, and have a wonderful night.  
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**Once more I'd like to thank TheRagingGamer for his excellent work as editor on this story.**

**Also, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Monty Oum, without his creations, I would have never really started writing. I have to be honest, RWBY has helped me get through some tough times in my life. With his passing, another light in the darkness flickers to an end, may he rest in peace.**


	9. Chapter 8: Study Session

_**Chapter 8: Study Session**_

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><p><strong><em>Team RAZR's Dorm<em>**

Riley yawned as Beacon's clock-tower struck eleven. He was getting rather tired, studying for five hours straight did that to you. Aria on the other hand, couldn't be less tired. She honestly was shocked that Riley had actually agreed to let her help him with his work.

The auburn-haired leader allowed another yawn, "Aria, can we please just go to sleep? I'm pretty sure I can pass this test."

"You would have passed it anyways, I just want to make sure you excel," she reminded him for what must be the thirtieth time tonight.

"I'm not perfect like Mrs. Schnee," he muttered back, "I can't answer this problem."

Aria sighed, "Yes you can."

Riley turned to her, "Nope."

She narrowed her eyes, "Yes."

"Nope," he repeated, popping the p.

"I'm not playing this game," she said with a sigh, laying her head on the table.

"See! Even you're tired," Riley exclaimed.

She shook her head, "I'm not tired, just frustrated."

He frowned, "Look, I'm sorry that I'm not as smart as you Aria."

"But you are!" she shouted at him, "You just don't realize it."

He looked back at his paper, "I think you're overestimating me."

She put her hand on his shoulder, "I'm not, that I know for sure; you're just underestimating yourself."

He sighed, slamming his head into the table, joining his partner, "Why do we even need to know this stuff? How is botany going to assist us in killing Grimm?"

"What if we are out for longer than expected?" she asked, "Wouldn't want to die from swallowing a poisonous berry, would you?"

"How does botany have anything to do with berries?" Riley questioned, turning his head to look at her.

"Everything, berries fall under Pomology, which is a sub-section of Botany," she explained with a smile. Riley lifted his head, looking back over the paper, Aria raised her head as well, waiting patiently for an answer.

"Okay, sure," he muttered, "Nerd."

"Excuse me?" Aria demanded, "You need to speak up."

"Nothing," the boy responded, "Just random frustration." He looked over the page one more time, closely studying the different leaves and their characteristics.

* * *

><p>Aria looked over at Riley's watch, it had been ten minutes since he started looking at the page.<p>

"That one," the boy suddenly said, pointing at the first leaf.

Aria looked over to the one her leader had selected, "Nope." He let out a defeated noise, slamming his head back on the book. She laughed a little, patting him on the back, "Just kidding, that is correct, told you you'd get it."

"I hate you," he muttered into the page, the words barely audible.

"I know," Aria laughed, leaning back in her chair.

"Okay so if this one has this coloration, that means its berries are inedible, but if it is this color, they are good?" Riley asked, looking rather confused.

"That is correct," the girl stated with a nod, "The Blacreon berries are very situational when it comes to food, red means no, blue means yes."

"That makes absolutely no sense," he said with a sigh.

"Pretty much," his partner agreed as she flipped the page, "Okay, so how long do Blacreon berries that have fully ripened stay fresh without refrigeration?"

Riley tapped his pencil against the notebook in thought. He hummed before looking back at her, "Approximately 12 days, but it depends on the coloration."

"Correct again," she confirmed, snapping her head back up. She glanced at the clock, twelve thirty, "Okay, so how much does the-" her question was interrupted by snoring, that of Riley's. "Great, I told you... that... we need..." she said quietly, slowing lowering her head to the table, "Fine, but only for ten minutes.

Consciousness left her quickly, as she joined her leader in sleep, both their heads laying on the team's desk.

* * *

><p>A loud knock echoed through the room, unheard by the sleeping duo at the desk. More knocks came, followed by the muffled voice of Yang, "Riley! Open up, I need to ask you a question!"<p>

The snoring continued as the door slowly starting to wobble. The door quickly swung open, Yang quick to stop it before it slammed into the wall. Upon entering she found something she definitely did not expect.

In their slumber, the bodies of Riley and Aria had become tangled together. Yang grinned, she had hit the jack-pot of blackmail, she quickly pulled out her scroll, lining up the camera with the pair.

She snapped the shot, Aria eyes shot open at the noise and flash, "What's going on? Yang what are you doing here, and why are you taking pictures of..." Her voice stopped as she looked at the position Riley and herself were in.

She jumped up, knocking Riley to the floor, his head slammed into the ground. He quickly lifted his head up, slamming it into the side of the desk, "Damnit! What the hell is going on?" He looked around, seeing his partner rushing towards Yang. The leader jumped up and ran over, "Aria, what the hell are you doing?"

The question went unanswered as the faunas jumped at the blonde, "If I get the chance, I will kill you."

The blonde laughed, "Oh, but what would your boyfriend say if you did that?"

Riley narrowed his eyes, "Boyfriend? We aren't dating."

Aria on the other hand had a blush quickly taking over her face as she attempted to wrestle the scroll out of Yang's hand, "Give it to me, or I will destroy everything you hold dear."

Riley walked over and plucked the scroll out of the busy Yang's hand.

She quickly spoke up, "Hey!"

Riley waved her off, looking at the phone, examining the picture, his eyes widened, "Oh, uhm, it definitely isn't what it looks like." He rubbed the back of his neck, "She was helping me study botany and then I guess we fell asleep, and I-"

He was interrupted as Aria was thrown into him, knocking them both onto Aria's bed and throwing the scroll across the room. Yang smiled at the two, "Botany huh, sure you weren't studying chemistry?"

"Really, Yang?" Riley asked as he pushed his partner to the side slightly, "I expected better." The boy looked back at the picture, thinking to himself, _"How is that even possible?"_

The blonde gave a quick shrug as Weiss and Ruby walked into the room, stopping behind Yang and looking around, Ruby spoke up, "Is everything alright, we heard yelling?"

Aria stood up quickly, "Everything is not alright! You're sister is being a huge bi-"

Riley through his hand over her mouth, the rest of her sentence becoming a jumbled mess. He smiled and laughed nervously, "What she is trying to say is, that Yang is being rather rude and should leave before she gets hurt."

His unending smile while he threatened her sister disturbed Ruby, "Uhm, right, Yang, what did you do?"

"Yang, I swear if you say something wrong, I will let go of Aria," Riley threatened, the smile no longer on his face.

Yang chuckled nervously, looking between the two groups of spectators in front of her, "Well you see, I walked in here, possibly without waiting for them to say yes. And I may have walked in on a complete misunderstanding and kind of over-reacted. I may have taken a few pictures of said misunderstanding."

Weiss narrowed her eyes, "What kind of misunderstanding?"

Riley was quick to answer, "The misunderstood kind."

She shrugged, obviously not caring enough for a more definite answer, "Yang, you shouldn't just barge in on people."

Yang shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so."

Riley sat Aria down on her bed and stepped in front of her, "I think we all just need to go to bed and calm down."

Ruby nodded in agreement, "That sounds like a good plan."

Blake spoke up, "That means you too, Yang." The blonde laughed nervously and nodded, stepping out of the room, Blake and Weiss close behind her.

Ruby walked up to her exhausted friend, "Hey, she didn't do anything that bad, right?"

He looked over to his now sleeping partner, a somber look on his face, "I don't know, didn't seem that bad to me, but Aria isn't exactly know to take embarrassment that well, guess we'll see if we wake up with a dead Yang."

"Yeah," the caped girl laughed nervously, "I'll talk to her, sorry about this."

The boy shook his head, "It's fine, Aria will be alright, I'll make sure of it."

The girl smiled, "Well, goodnight Riley."

He smiled back at her, "You too, Ruby." The boy sat down next to Aria as Ruby quietly closed the door. Riley sighed, looking over at his partner. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and looked at her for a moment, "Sleep well."

* * *

><p><strong>Song of the Chapter: Loving You Is Easy (Nightcore)<strong>

**watch?v=CeyinDjLWU0&list=PLpTb3B4kyniUzHWUEAEQh2dgIbJsbv8IV&index=95**

**A/N: Afternoon everyone, sorry about the short chapter. This one had a singular purpose to serve, and I think I got that through. Enjoy your day and make sure to stay tuned for the next chapter.**

**As usual, I would like to give me thanks to TheRagingGamer for his excellent editing.**


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